Gas and CNG powered vehicles 90 employees, 67 drivers New city-owned facility

Transcription

1 The KTA Express A Monthly Publication For Keolis Transit America Employees Keolis Awarded RTC Contract New Service Includes System Servicing the Las Vegas Strip Note from Michael Griffus, President and CEO We mentioned it in the last edition of the KTA Express but on February 14th it became official. Keolis was selected by the Regional Transportation Commission (RTC) of Southern Nevada to manage and operate the Lot B fixed-route and express transit system! The contract includes service along the resort corridor of Las Vegas Boulevard as well as the Deuce on the Strip (Deuce) and the Strip and Downtown Express (SDX) routes. We look forward to partnering with the RTC to bring our commitment to quality service, customer appreciation and transportation best practices, to the locals and visitors of Vegas! I ve said it before and I will say it again - THANK YOU to everyone involved in the RTC bidding process. THANK YOU to our entire nationwide team for applying our training and safety initiatives. And thank YOU for representing Keolis so well in everything you do, every day. Winning RTC wasn t the only great thing that happened in February. On February 18th, we started operations for the Fresno Handy Ride contract, an ADA paratransit service. Here are some quick facts about the new Handy Ride contract: Three-year base term with four one-year extensions (seven years total) $16.8 million in revenue over initial threeyear term; $42 million over entire sevenyear term 55 vehicle fleet (cutaways and sedans) Gas and CNG powered vehicles 90 employees, 67 drivers New city-owned facility This contract start-up fits in nicely with this month s topic our paratransit services. I consider it our privilege to provide high-quality, accessible transportation services for those who may not otherwise have the means to move about their community. There are approximately 54 million Americans living with disabilities and if we can help even a small percentage of those individuals we are making a big difference. It is an honor to be considered such a key player in the paratransit industry and I hope you enjoy learning a little bit more about it. Remember that this newsletter is for you! Send in your stories (and pictures) of the great things happening at your operation so we can feature you here and on our social media. Everything can be sent to newsletter@keolistransit.com by the 25th each month for inclusion in the next month s edition. Enjoy March and all the things that come with it baseball season, spring break, and warmer temperatures it s a great time of year! As always, stay safe!! Until next month, Michael Griffus President and CEO, Keolis Transit America Volume Volume 3, Issue 4, Issue 9, December 3, March In This Issue Note From 1 Michael Griffus Feature Story 2 Kudos 3 Keolis Drivers Make 3 a Difference Rail Update 4 Human Resources 5 Safety 5 Send Us Your Story! This newsletter is reserved for the great things happening to the KTA team, no matter the operation or location. Did you receive an award or kudos from a customer or passenger? We want to know! Did you have outstanding survey results or come up with an innovative way to improve the passenger experience? All submissions can be sent to newsletter@keolistransit.com and if your story runs in The KTA Express, we ll send you a special thank you gift just for sharing! 1

2 Feature Story: Story of a Startup: Handy Ride Contract Begins in Fresno, California On January 24, 2013, the City of Fresno awarded Keolis Transit America with a three year contract to manage and operate the City s Handy Ride ADA paratransit services. This curb-to-curb, shared ride system meets the transportation needs of eligible individuals with disabilities who are unable to use the City s fixed route bus system. Offering services throughout metropolitan Fresno since 1975, Handy Ride now provides an average of nearly 500 daily trips. The City s goal for the system is one that KTA embraces providing equal opportunity and independence for all customers with a commitment to provide safe, convenient and timely rides. Following award in late January, KTA had just three weeks until the service start date to place a team in Fresno and begin the transition process. Aaron Vogel, KTA s Northwest Regional Director, arrived in Fresno on January 28 to begin the transition process. During the first week he met with City officials to introduce KTA to the local community and held discussions with incumbent employees to begin the hiring process. The final two weeks during startup focused on human resources, IT networking, basic operator training, labor negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union, fleet and facility inspections and Trapeze scheduling software customization. A successful transition was completed on February 18 with services operating on a holiday schedule in observance of President s Day. Prior to the 4:45 a.m. service roll out, Keolis executive team members were on hand to distribute ID badges and safety vests as employees checked in for their first day with KTA. Service commenced at 6:30 a.m. and concluded at 7:30 p.m. with an on-time performance of 99% and no reported incidents. The client with the City of Fresno was so confident in KTA s ability to successfully transition the service that he took the day off. This faith in KTA speaks to the company s reputation for being a safe, professional and efficient operator. Paul Kwiatkowski, long time Handy Ride General Manager, was extremely pleased with the transition and happy to be working for KTA. We have never experienced this level of professionalism and support. Every single department within the company has been a pleasure to work with and extremely helpful, he said. It would have been impossible to pull this off in three weeks without the unbelievable dedication and commitment that we received. The local team is also excited to have KTA as their new employer. Many expressed how pleased they were to see the abundance of energy and great support provided by the corporate team. And the General Manager is eagerly looking forward to the future. I want this to be an award winning service and I know that with Keolis, we can do this. They have brought in new tools, shop equipment and a service truck that we desperately needed, Kwiatkowski said. They ve already taken care of improving the appearance of the fleet and provided us with new uniforms. We are now providing true customer service. 2

3 Kudos: Landcaster Operation Posts Big Numbers in January Congratulations to the Lancaster, CA team on their January numbers! By contract, the operation is required to reach 91 percent for on-time performance, but the team exceeded that by reaching nearly 95 percent! The Lancaster operation is also required to have no more than 0.10 percent of their trips exceed 45 minutes, but the crew posted only 0.04 percent. The team performed 6,234 trips for the month. After hearing about Lancaster s January numbers, CEO Mike Griffus replied to Lancaster Operations Manager, Laura Moreno, It seems as though I am continually thanking you for doing a great job. This kind of performance is what makes a difference in the lives of our passengers. Way to go, Lancaster! Keolis Drivers Make a Difference We know that Keolis employees are the best in the world, and feedback from our wonderful customers proves this to be true! We recently received an message from a passenger who was stranded in Ft. Lauderdale due to the Nemo storm. This passenger was so impressed with the service she received from Dale Knutson that she felt compelled to write about her experience: I was a victim of the Nemo Storm in that my flight home was postponed due to the blizzard. My friends and I were stranded at the Fort Lauderdale airport. We didn t know what to do and asked someone for suggestions to spend the time. Someone told us about a trolley that went from the airport to downtown Fort Lauderdale. There we could at least spend some time and look at the scenery. We found where to board, and when the trolley drove up, we were greeted by the friendliest driver! He smiled - welcomed us, and, once we were seated, asked us where we were from. We explained to him our dilemma. He was absolutely great in explaining the places we could go once we got to our destination - and when and where we could pick up the bus again. He was funny - and very, very helpful to us. Along the way, he pointed out some of the smaller attractions and as we got closer to downtown he slowed down and pointed out restaurants, the museums, the performing arts center, the water taxi, the river walk, and even recommended a place to eat. Needless to say, we had a GREAT time in Ft. Lauderdale. His suggestions were spot on and we were MOST impressed with the beauty and splendor of the City. When the time came, we were sad to go back to the airport but were looking forward to the ride back since we knew he was going to be driving us. He even waited an extra five minutes for one of our group as she had to go back to the restaurant and get her sunglasses. We asked his name and he told us it was Dale. He said he was not really a driver but that he was filling in for the day. He told us that this is the company he worked for. We were very impressed with the presence of your company all over the Ft. Lauderdale airport! It seemed that wherever we looked there was another Keolis vest! How wonderful your customer service is and what a GREAT way to spend our stranded day. THANK YOU Keolis, thank you Dale, and thank the trolley system that so generously allowed us to use their system for the day. Our boredom was quickly turned into a fast-paced day. By the way, we did make it home safely in spite of the snow and cold. As I write this - I am fondly remembering our great visit to Ft. Lauderdale. Thanks again! What a difference a driver makes! Our drivers touch the lives of our customers and represent Keolis. Dale made a positive, lasting experience on this passenger, and more than likely on many other passengers who do not take the time to share kudos. Dale, THANK YOU, for showing that passenger the ultimate in customer service. 3

4 Update from Keolis Rail Services Virginia By Ben Cornelius, Senior Operations Manager Keolis Transit America and Virginia Railway Express (VRE) pay special attention to the travel needs of disabled passengers. With this interest in improving transportation for this group if riders, KTA and VRE recently participated in the Access Board activities at Union Station in Washington DC. This board of disabled travelers meets annually and provides advice and input to the VRE, Amtrak and the MARC train on commuter and long distance passenger travel. Access Board participants were particularly impressed with VRE s new fleet of railcars, equipped with mechanized wheelchair lifts, unavailable on MARC and Amtrak, and wheelchair-accessible restrooms. Keolis provided tours of revenue trains as they were being boarded at Union Station, which provided an accurate look into the boarding activities of passengers with varying mobility challenges. Board members were also pleased to see that three older sets of railcars without wheelchair lifts were enhanced with at least one new car that was equipped with the lifts and an accessible restroom. All VRE stations are fully accessible. Seventy-seven railcars are assigned to the daily service, and on average VRE operates wheelchair lifts 42 times each weekday, assisting passengers in boarding and detraining. Sixty-four of these are equipped with mechanized wheelchair lifts to allow passengers requiring assistance to board and detrain without using the steps. With 12 train sets operating each day, nine of these sets have a wheelchair lift on every car and the remaining three sets provide at least one car with a wheelchair lift. Every train set also has at least one fully accessible restroom. VRE has placed an equipment order for eight new railcars to be delivered in 2014, which will replace eight of the 11 remaining Legacy cars. VRE hopes to obtain funding in 2013 to add to the order, which will bring it much closer to the goal of having a fully accessible fleet of railcars. The New Year began well for KTA and VRE with a January on-time performance (OTP) of 96.3% on the Fredericksburg Line and 96.4% on the Manassas Line. System OTP for the month reached 96.4%, making January the sixteen consecutive month that OTP was above 95%. On January 29, KTA achieved its second highest ridership day when it transported 21,285 passengers and successfully provided more than 20,000 trips a day on nine separate service days. In 2012, VRE ridership rose by 1.7% - a positive sign in the face of the possible sequestration. 4

5 Is Your Personal Information Up-To-Date? By Frances Woodring, Human Resources Director Compensation and Benefits It s tax season again, and many of you are sorting through receipts and documents, getting ready for that April 15th deadline. This is a good time of year to think about making sure that your work affairs are in order, which means ensuring that all of your personal information is up-to date. Here are several questions to consider: Is your current address reflected in the company payroll records? Has your telephone number changed? Is your emergency contact information the same as when you were hired? Has their telephone number changed? Once you have completed your taxes, is it time to complete a new W-4 in the event that you either under-withheld or over-withheld on your 2012 taxes? If you are not currently participating in KTA s 401k Retirement Savings Plan, which allows you to defer income into your retirement savings account, thereby saving on your federal and state taxes, is it time to do so? If you are participating in KTA s 401k Retirement Savings Plan, is it time to increase your contribution a few dollars per pay period? Talk to your Manager or Human Resources Representative if you would like to address any of the items above. One final reminder: If you have a qualifying event (such as the birth of a child, recent marriage, etc.) and would like to make a change on your benefit options, you are limited to a 30 day window to do so. Exceptions cannot be made so take care of these changes today! Safety: DO YOU ROCK & ROLL? By Drew Jones, Senior Vice President, Safety and Risk Management Pedestrian accidents are tragic. When a bus or other vehicle and a pedestrian collide, the outcome is never good. Pedestrian accidents affect all of us. They change forever the lives of the pedestrian and his or her family and friends. They have a huge impact on our drivers, families, everyone in your division and everyone in our company. We must do everything we can to prevent pedestrian collisions. Turning at an intersection without scanning can increase the risk of hitting a pedestrian; there are special techniques that can help you avoid a collision with a pedestrian or bicyclist. Rock and Roll is not just music; it is a procedure that helps you see where a pedestrian may be in your blind spot. Practice your rock & roll at every intersection. Pedestrians and bicyclists are a reality on our roadways; don t let a moment of inattention lead to a tragedy. Remember: success doesn t come from just talking about safety; it comes from practicing safe behaviors in everything we do. Remember, Safety is Every Employee s #1 Responsibility 5